JAY — Residents will get a chance Monday, March 16, to learn about the proposed $5.63 million municipal budget for 2015-16. The public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. in the library at Spruce Mountain High School at 33 Community Drive.

The hearing will be followed by a workshop with the town’s auditor to review the audit for the year ending June 30, 2014.

The hearing on the annual town meeting warrant will include an article to authorize the Board of Selectpersons to negotiate a lease with Androscoggin Land Trust for about 10 acres of the French Falls Recreation Area. The land is at the end of French Falls Lane that runs beside the Knights of Columbus Hall on Route 4.

Voters at the annual town meeting in April will be asked to consider approving a Community Development Block Grant application for a Workforce Development Grant for training in the amount of $100,000. The town would be the applicant with Polycor, a company based in Canada that is developing the North Jay White Quarry for the purpose of making granite curbing.

The company proposes to build a plant off the Old Jay Hill Road. The $4 million investment would create 20 direct jobs and 20 indirect jobs, and inject approximately $3 million per year into the local economy, according to the company’s information presented to the town.

The public hearing is being held earlier than usual because selectpersons changed the annual town meeting date last year from Election Day in June to Tuesday, April 28, of this year to coincide with the Regional School Unit 73 validation vote.

The proposed $5.63 million spending package represents a $92,656.60 increase over the current budget. After factoring anticipated revenues of $1.33 million, the net budget is $4.3 million.

The spending plan sets up a $50,000 valuation reserve account and contains $225,000 for paving. It also reinstates some money for capital reserves in various town department budgets that were eliminated in the current budget.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

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